is continuing to address the plight of the victims of Hurricane Katrina to the best of its ability, with a resolve to do whatever it can based on available classroom and research space, and the needs of students and academics dislocated by the storm.

President Jehuda Reinharz has authorized "visiting student" status and free tuition for this semester to undergraduate and graduate students who would like to continue their studies while their host institutions in the United States' Gulf Coast Region struggle to deal with Hurricane Katrina's aftermath.

As of Sept. 8, the University had received more than 80 inquiries, some serious and others of the informational variety, from students affected by the storm and interested in possibly attending Brandeis. Six had enrolled as visiting students.

Elsewhere on campus, faculty members from several departments and schools are planning a multi-disciplinary panel discussion with breakout sessions to be held on September 26. The event will focus on issues of social inequality, environmental justice, and disaster relief response. There also are plans to incorporate relevant subject matter — about economic development, emergency planning and the social dimensions of the crisis — into courses being taught in the Spring term across the University.

While the University cannot accommodate additional students in its residence halls, is assisting those in need of off-campus housing. The University has received a number of offers from families in the Greater Boston area willing to temporarily house people affected by the hurricane.

students, staff and faculty members across campus are contributing to the relief effort and otherwise ramping up fundraising efforts, which began at the University Aug. 31. As of Sept. 21, students had raised more than $4,200 at events on campus. That tally does not include funds that were continuing to be collected on a daily basis.